The New Affordable Reference Power Cable for Source Components

After the HUGE success of Jay Victor's Pangea AC-14SE upgrade power cable for source components, the folks at Pangea Audio challenged Jay to do even better.

"I can think of several things we could improve," Jay answered enthusiastically. "I can use more of the highest purity PCOCC (99.9999% pure) copper. I can also increase the shielding and improve the cable geometry to reduce the background noise. This cable will be better, but it will also be more expensive."

Pangea Audio's management told Jay to go ahead with the project. They couldn't wait to see and hear what Jay could do with a bigger budget. We work closely with Pangea, and we couldn't wait for the results, either.

Solid Copper Blades, Screw-in Ground Pin

Weeks later, Pangea received a message from Jay. "Last night, on my flight from Taiwan to Hong Kong, I got thinking about your new cable project. I want to use solid copper blades for the AC connections and upgrade to a screw-in/out solid copper ground pin. That will make the cable grip the AC receptacle tighter and make is easy for customers to cancel any ground hum [by removing the ground pin]."

Months later, a box of sample cables arrived at Pangea Audio headquarters. They quickly plugged them in. Not only did the new cables solidly grip the AC receptacles, but they also very tightly gripped the male IEC end on the components. That was unexpected. Best of all, after only a few hours of break-in, the AC-14XL made the system sound cleaner and clearer than Pangea's best-selling AC-14SE. Background noise was further reduced. The system sounded more relaxed – which made the Pangea people relax, too.

Jay called the office few days later. "How do they sound?" he asked. After receiving rave reviews, Jay said, "I'm glad you like them. I think they are killer even at a higher price." Then Jay explained, "I included a higher grade IEC connector I recently discovered on your samples. It has bigger copper blade contacts for a better connection. It will increase the price, but I think it's worth it." We've heard and tested them at Audio Advisor, and we wholeheartedly agree!

DeathGrip™ IEC

One weak link in the power chain that is often overlooked is the IEC connector. We had found a good one for our Pangea cables. It had large contacts and gripped firmly. Then Jay Victor discovered another IEC connector with massive gold-plated contacts that gripped a component's IEC better than anything he had ever seen.

"It's like a death grip," reported Jay. "We need to use it on our high-end cables." We agreed with Jay, and the DeathGrip™ IEC was born.

Just One Final Improvement…

"I have one more improvement I'd like to make to these new cables, but it will take a little time," added Jay. He wouldn't explain further. Pangea agreed to wait.

Months later a package arrived. It was from Jay. Inside were some of the coolest looking power cables that anyone at either Pangea Audio or Audio Advisor have ever seen. "AC-14XL" was printed on them. Both the AC and IEC plugs now were clad in a beautiful gunmetal grey metal casing. The cable jacket has a stealth-looking black and silverfish-grey finish that looked like it came out of a high-end Kevlar bulletproof vest. "Would it really stop bullets?" we wondered when we saw them for the first time. Then we plugged AC-14XL into the system for a listen. The people at Pangea were 100-percent correct. This cable sounded just as awesome as it now looked.

Jay told Pangea, "I thought this amazing cable needed a little something to put it over the top. The metal casing on the plugs is mainly a cosmetic touch, but also improves the grip and the overall integrity of the connector. I also designed a stealth-looking jacket that really shows off this cable. Looks good, doesn't it?"

Pangea enthusiastically agreed and promptly ordered a full run of this awesome cable. Now, after almost two years of working on the project, Jay has created a cable that we're proud to be able to offer at Audio Advisor. Give AC-14XL a try. You won't find any cable at anywhere near the price that offers this kind of level of performance.

Reference power cord for source components

Improves transient response, very low noise floor

Designed for wide-band delivery of power to line-level AV components

Specifically designed to enhance the performance of preamps, CD players, Blu-ray players, DACs, and other line-level components

I am a believer now that replacing a stock power cable to your PC power supply is very beneficial. The picture is more crisp with less grain and the sound is much better as well with this cable. And you can only imagine what good clean power will do to enhance system stability and the lifespan of your computer.

- Shirley Ragland, IL

Absolutely stunning!

I agree 100% with what others have said about this amazing power cord. I have many 9SE cords, and the 14 SE, in addition to several other Pangea products. I have not been disappointed with a single Pangea purchase yet. In addition to having better detail retrieval and better overall musicality than the excellent 14SE, the 14XL provides a jet-black background, greatly improved depth imaging, and, best of all, a midrange that is velvet-smooth...one that simply floats on an expansive soundstage. The improvement must be heard to be believed. Well worth the price!

- MICHAEL D, WA

Jaw dropping cable

Excellent cable. I had the 14SE and went with the trade in/trade up deal and the 14XL makes my system sound much better. I am hearing details in my 20 year old cds that I never heard better! Its like a veil of background noise has been lifted from my cds/dvds/blu-rays. The sound is clearer, cleaner, and more natural sounding when compared to the 14SE. Its def a substantial upgrade. Very pleased. Plus, this cable looks so darn cool, too.

KM

Quality cable at a good price

I am truly amazed at the quality of Pangea cables - I have the 9SE and have now added the AC-14 XL and the overall sound is weightier and altogether more musical. This was not so apparent with my previous AC-14 SE. I thoroughly recommend the AC-14XL as a cost effective upgrade. I could not be happier.